Congrats to Sharon Rizzo, who won Cleo Coyle's new Haunted Bookshop Mystery, The Ghost and the Bogus Bestseller, and her new Coffeehouse Mystery, Shot in the Dark along with Cleo's holiday prize package!

Congrats to Bernice K, Jaime M, Karen B, Tiffany S, and Vickie "la", who won a copy of For Cheddar or Worse by Avery Aames aka Daryl Wood Gerber. And there's one more winner if she can give me a good email. "Sweet" Jane...contact me.

Congrats to Kara Marks who won a copy of Steamed Open by Barbara Ross, and also to Kathleen Kendler who won One Taste Too Many by Debra Goldstein!

Congrats to Kay Bennett, winner of the Around the Kitchen Table collection of books by Daryl, Leslie, Krista, Cleo, Sheila and Linda.

Congrats to Faith, winner of As the Christmas Cookie Crumbles by Leslie Budewitz and a set of Christmas cookie cutters.

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Orange Cinnamon Crème Brûlée -- and a #bookgiveaway

Today is Launch Day for GUILTY AS CINNAMON, the second in my Seattle Spice Shop Mysteries. Leave a comment below to be entered for a chance to win a signed copy.

And it’s also launch day for DEAD TO THE LAST DROP, by Cleo Coyle, the 15th Coffeehouse Mystery. Congratulations, Cleo—LOVE the title!

I’m often asked where the recipes in my books come from. Some are family favorites, some are new finds I’m eager to share, and some I create, discover, or adapt for the book. For GUILTY AS CINNAMON, I went looking for a fun dessert that would feature cinnamon, but because the book is set in April, have a light, springy feel. Now, having tested it several times—we suffer, so you don’t have to—I can assure you it’s supremely fabulous in any season.

We got started making crème brûlée years ago, when my mother noticed Mr. Right’s fondness for it on dinners out, and gave us a set of ramekins and a kitchen torch. Men and fire, right? Turns out to be exactly right for GUILTY AS CINNAMON, though I won’t tell you just why!

But I will say while Pepper and Tag don’t agree on much, they are of one mind when it comes to this recipe: the very best crème brûlée ever.

You may blanch when you see that it’s made entirely with cream. You could substitute half-and-half and still swoon with its fabulosity.

In a small saucepan, combine the cream, 1/4 cup sugar, orange zest, and cinnamon stick. Roll the thyme strands back and forth between your palms, over the pan, to release the essential oils, then toss the thyme into the pan. Whisk to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, then remove from the heat and strain into a bowl to cool. (This step infuses the cream with the aromatics—the zest, thyme, and cinnamon.)

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and vanilla. When the infused cream is cooled to the touch, slowly pour it into the egg mixture and whisk to combine. (Cooling the cream avoids curdling the eggs.)

Place four 4-ounce ramekins or custard cups in a large baking dish or roasting pan. Carefully fill the ramekins with the custard mixture. Place the dish in the oven and carefully pour hot water into the pan, till it reaches about halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Bake until the custard is set around the edges and slightly jiggly in the center, about 35 minutes.

Remove the baking dish from the oven. Lift out the ramekins—tongs work nicely—and cool on a rack at room temperature. (Don’t leave them in the hot water, as the heat would continue to cook the mixture.) When cool, move ramekins to refrigerator to chill for at least an hour before the next step.

Just before serving, sprinkle a teaspoon of turbinado sugar evenly over the top of each dish. Caramelize the sugar with a kitchen torch. The sugar will harden, turn golden, and become crunchy. If you don’t have a torch, broil the dishes 2 to 3 minutes until the sugar forms a crisp, golden top.

Garnish with a curvy strip of orange peel or a sprig of thyme.

Or a Scottie dog.

Serves 4.

Leave a comment below to be entered for a chance to win a signed copy of GUILTY AS CINNAMON; contest ends midnight, Wednesday, December 3. Please include your email address!

Pepper Reece knows that fiery flavors are the spice of life. But when a customer dies of a chili overdose, she finds herself in hot pursuit of a murderer…

From the cover ...

Murder heats up Seattle’s Pike Place Market in the next Spice Shop mystery from the national bestselling author of Assault and Pepper.

Springtime in Seattle’s Pike Place Market means tasty foods and wide-eyed tourists, and Pepper’s Seattle Spice Shop is ready for the crowds. With flavorful combinations and a fresh approach, she’s sure to win over the public. Even better, she’s working with several local restaurants as their chief herb and spice supplier. Business is cooking, until one of Pepper’s potential clients, a young chef named Tamara Langston, is found dead, her life extinguished by the dangerously hot ghost chili—a spice Pepper carries in her shop.

Now stuck in the middle of a heated police investigation, Pepper must use all her senses to find out who wanted to keep Tamara’s new café from opening—before someone else gets burned…

Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries and the Spice Shop Mysteries—and the first author to win Agatha Awards for both fiction and nonfiction. The president of Sisters in Crime, she lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat Ruff, a cover model and avid bird-watcher.

Congrats on release day! Love the series and that cover is just too cute. And that is one yummy dessert for the holidays. Downloading the recipe right now. Thanks for the giveaway.sallycootie@gmail.com

This recipe looks divine, but possibly a bit beyond my baking ability which runs more along the lines of pie and cookies. Dare I venture out of my comfort zone???? Happy Release Day! !!! Looking forward to reading this book!!!ejbs3s@yahoo.com

Jody, think of them as crustless custard pies! They're really quite simple -- just be careful with the hot water, and don't let them sit in the water bath once they seem done, b/c they can get overcooked that way. Try 'em!

Congratulations on release day! This and the first one are on my Christmas wish list and Cleo's first in the Coffeehouse mystery series is on my shelf waiting for it's turn. I just wish I could read faster. Thanks for the chance to win!